On to ACT III as the Dream is Realized Act III will begin August of 2014. I matriculated my academic career at Morehouse College located in the heart of Atlanta, Ga. Morehouse College is a Historically Black College or University, commonly known as a HBCU. My journey to Morehouse College began in the mid-seventies while sitting on the front porch with my grandfather and a story. I did not know then, but the story that my grandfather told me would actually change my life. The story my grandfather told me would revisit me over and over again for over 25 years until the dream of my grandfather would become a realization. However, I must start my story at what I will refer to as Act I and bring it full circle to account for my complete path to Morehouse College. I was born in an era when the family unit was a natural way of life. Even though, I was a product of a broken home, meaning my parents were not married nor do I remember them living together, I had a complete family unit. I was born in a city called Norristown, about twenty minutes right outside of Philadelphia, Pa. I grew up in a household with my mother, step-father and three sisters. As a child, I did not know it but I did have two other brothers whom my grandparents reared from birth, I would not learn of our true blood relationship until I was about six years of age. That being said, I never knew that I was not in a “traditional family.” I am the fourth child of six in my immediate family. I have two older brothers, who are eight and six years, my senior; next is my sister Pamela she is 14 months older than me and we are very very close. Lastly, I have two younger sisters, who are 3 and 2 years younger than me respectively. Currently, all my siblings all reside in Norr... ... middle of paper ... ...ture would march down Brown street in full colors: Summa Cum Laude, Department Honors, and Beta Gamma Sigma. At this point, I feel bittersweet, here all alone without the two people who influenced me the most. Hopefully, they are here with me in spirit. This period at Morehouse College, will be what I call the end of Act II, and the beginning of Act III. Throughout my journey that I have briefly outlined both my high and low points; I look back and I see many things that I could have done differently. Now, after completing my matriculation at Morehouse, I feel more certain of my future and my place in society. Being a student in the Morehouse Department of Business Administration, I have learned concepts and theories that will make me an asset to the corporate environment. The training that I gained while obtaining my undergraduate is priceless. Even though,
One definition is “a significant social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.” While such definition is a good starting point, some modern family structures are excluded by such definition. In her essay, “Family: Idea, Institution, and Controversy,” Betty Farrell apparently assumes that the traditional family has dramatically changed, and the dynamics of change—altered the definition of a “family.” A family is no longer a picture of a particular image of the mythic past, referring to the golden days of the “1950s.” It is no longer a father, mother and their biological children living together under one roof (and certainly not with the a breadwinner father and a stay-at-home mother). In today 's modern society, it is now common to see women raising their children by themselves without their husbands’ help; unmarried couples living together; and gay and lesbian couples—while far from being universally accepted—adopting and raising children to complete their families. Therefore, despite the children living in one-parent households, or they do not live with their “married-heterosexual-biological-parents” under the same roof—does not necessarily mean they are not families. Farrell states that “a family is defined not so much by a particular set of people as by the quality of relationships that bind them together.” In other words, Farrell believes that a “family” is more than just a collection
What's important to note is that family, or even the concept of family itself, doesn't appear in any of those ideals. Holmes and Holmes (2002) observed that “The family reunions of yesterday are now rare, and when they occur they are often a source of stress.” (p. 19) That quote solidifies one reason why family interaction today is: “It’s just too stressful, so we avoid it. Where does marriage fit into our culture of individuals?
The ideal traditional family is no more but the non-traditional is here and becoming very much relevant, and I think it is time to say good bye to the past and embrace the present and welcome the
Traditional family in today’s society is rather a fantasy, a fairy tale without the happy ending. Everyone belongs to a family, but the ideology that the family is built around is the tell tale. Family structures have undeniably changed, moving away from the conventional family model. Nowadays more mothers work outside of the home, more fathers are asked to help with housework, and more women are choosing to have children solo. Today there are families that have a mom and a dad living in the same home, there are step-families, and families that have just a mother or just a father. Probably the most scrutinized could be families that consist of two moms or two dads. These are all examples of families and if all members are appropriately happy and healthy then these families are okay and should incontestably be accepted. So why is the fantasy of the traditional family model still so emphasized in our society? This expectation is degrading and misleading. Progressing with times one ought not be criticized or shunned for being true to their beliefs. It is those living falsely, living as society thinks they should that are the problem. Perhaps as a society, if there were more focus and concern for happiness and peace within ones family and fewer worries for the neighbor then there would be less dilemma.
In his book, “Oh, the Places You'll Go!” Dr. Seuss famously wrote: “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the one who'll decide where you go.” Friends, family, faculty, and most importantly, fellow graduates, we are gathered here today to celebrate the completion of twelve years of education; a period of time that has filled each and every one of us with an array of emotions and experiences; good, bad, and literally everything in between. Little did we know that these emotions and experiences would one day define and shape us into the people who we are today.
There was an article in The New York Times called “The Changing American Family” by Natalie Angier that illustrates this point. The writer discussed the way in which the typical family structure has morphed into the many versions that can be seen today. Through her research, Angier noted that “anthropologists have traditionally used the term ‘fictive kin’ to separate such relationships from ‘true’ kinship based on blood or law, but many researchers have recently pushed back against that distinction, arguing that self-constructed families are no less real or meaningful than conventional ones.” (23) Personally, I think that if someone acts like family, then they become my family. These “fictive kin” do not exist to me. The title of a family member must be
Determining family structure and dynamics as well as defining the family is a complex process. Personally, I come from a very traditional family. Much like the assumptions made by the students in the article Defining Family: Young Adults’ Perceptions of the Parent-Child Bond by Mellisa Holtzman (2008). This is what comes to mind when most people define family; a nuclear family, with married parents, and biological children. However, a family is a complex system and can take on many different forms.
I have been given an awesome privilege to be able to call Hope College my home for the last four years. The memories I have had here will last a lifetime. From the friends I have developed with professors, students, to Phelps and Cook employees. I can honestly say that there has not been a bad experience with any of these people. It’s been awesome here at Hope! This experience has taught me many different life lessons and helped mold the legacy in which I feel I will leave behind when I am done. The legacy I want to leave behind entails one of respect, and hard working. I will tie all of these together will explicit examples from here at Hope and will end with how I plan to finish up on a positive note.
The unit of a family is the most prominent essential for all of us. As social human beings, we seek social support in order to thrive, and that is where family comes into play. A family is where you receive love, support, encouragement, and many other social benefits. The total number of households in the United States increased from 63 million in 1970 to 113 million in 2008 (Weeks, 2012). The family has influenced multitudes of people in many ways. The traditional family in the United States consists two-married individuals providing care and stability for their biological offspring also know as the nuclear family. However, the term of a true family has ultimately changed over the last 50 years especially for African Americans.
I have three siblings along with three nephews. I have a younger sister, older sister, and one older brother. My older sister is the one that had my nephews. We all lived under the same roof until I moved out for college. My mother was more like my father in the house because my father was away working for us, and even though my siblings are her children, it seems that they 're her siblings too. It felt that I was the parent of my nephews and little sister because of the way I had to care for them because everyone else was working. I connect with my immediate family firmly. We always look out for each other because we mean so much to one another. I
Colleges and universities need to be structured so that they prepare students for specific career roles, as well as give them a level of appreciation for the world in which they live. Brewer’s succe...
Family dynamics and their structure have gone through many changes in the last 100 years. The development of diverse and unique family styles was very interesting and I was surprised by the many changes over the spectrum of time. In addition, I discovered that I have been a little sheltered by my own environment. I had failed to learn about other cultures, but what I learned from this course and the way we define family was eye opening. Considering the definition of a family unit, it is easy to see how much that definition has changed. People living in the same home and celebrating the same belief system, although not related by blood, are still considered family. From single parents, to grandparents raising the grandchildren, and homosexual
Out of the numerous commodities and resources that are scarce on the planet in which we inhabit a family, or even a family system, can never be parallel to even an iota of them. This is due to the fact that everyone, no matter what age at what time period of their life, has a family. That family may not be the cookie cutter family that society imposes on the media world. People develop without knowing their family, people create new families of their own, or they can even find something or someone to call family because of this family will never be scarce. Family is an objective concept to every single person and the definition varies significantly from being as simple as the smallest of toys to as complex as a group of people interconnected
I didn’t grow up in such home of one bread winner and one stay at home mom both my parents worked all my life, however now I find myself creating this type of family in my household. As quoted by the Coontz Article “We need to build values and social establishments that can join people’s needs for independence with their equally important rights to dependence, and we must reject older solutions that involved balancing these needs on the backs of women. We will not find our answers in nostalgia for a mythical “traditional family.” I agree with the articles statement however if a family is created with the traditional foundation it is what works for them. Shaping a family traditional or non-traditional is a personal choice, the opinion of others doesn’t matter as long as it is well fit for your family. These are the traditional values that many seek for their families and household’s. A two-parent family in which the husband provides financially while the wife manages home life and childrearing activities. The gender roles are absolute in relationship and household. Most (preferably all) members of the family attend Christian church. Children are attentive, respectful, bright, and responsible. Families live in the same town, or at least the same vicinity, for generations. Divorce is unheard of, and is considered shameful. Homosexuality, nonconformist behavior, child abuse, abortion, and domestic abuse do not exist. Unmarried couples are extremely rare, and frequently are shunned. The number of never-married men (“confirmed bachelors”) and women (“spinsters”) is extremely low. (Coontz, Stephanie, The Way We Never Were, p. 25) Many of these ideas are wonderful but to lump the majority of these idea on
To thoroughly elaborate on the institution of family we most look at the family as it was before and how much it has changed over time. Throughout the years we are recognizing that the family is slowly being replaced by other agents of socialization. Families in the past consisted of a mother and a father and most times children. We are, as many societies a patriarchal society; men are usually the head of the households. This has always been considered the norm.